Aftermath
Explore our virtual exhibit
By Date
- May 1940 - April 1945: Occupation & Resistance
- 1944: Anthony Law becomes Commander of 29th Flotilla
- May 19 - 20 1944: Philip Pochailo is shot down
- June 6, 1944: Earl Olmsted lands on Juno Beach
- August 4, 1944: Moe Hurwitz awarded Military Medal (MM)
- September 1944: Race to Antwerp
- September 12, 1944: Moe Hurwitz earned Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM)
- October - November 1944: The Battle of the Scheldt
- January 1945: Charles Byce earns his Military Medal (MM)
- February - March 1945: The Rhineland Campaign
- March 2, 1945: Charles Byce earns his Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM)
- April 1945: Philip Pochailo reconnects with Canadian troops
- April 14, 1945: Léo Major liberates Zwolle
- April 15, 1945: Don White assists in the Liberation of Leeuwarden
- April, 1945: Mona Parsons reconnects with Canadian troops
- April - May 1945: The Liberation of the Netherlands
- April 1945 - Present: Remembrance
- May 5, 1945 - May 31, 1946: The aftermath of liberation
VE-Day – Victory in Europe Day – marked the end of the fighting for First Canadian Army and the liberation of the Netherlands. No more bombs would fall on German cities, the artillery on the Western Front was silenced, and the killing stopped at death camps like Auschwitz and Dachau. But the war was not yet over. The fighting continued in the Pacific and would not stop until the Americans dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in early August 1945. And for the Canadians in the Netherlands, there was still much to do.
On 5 May 1945, General Charles Foulkes, as the commander of 1 Canadian Corps, accepted the surrender of German forces in the Netherlands at the Hotel de Wereld in Wageningen. He was faced with a number of difficult issues. With only 25,000 Canadian troops under his command, he was now responsible for 125,000 German soldiers. These men would have to be fed and controlled. Foulkes was also responsible for making sure the Dutch were fed. It was a big job.
Foulkes made the decision to treat the Germans as “capitulated troops” rather than “prisoners of war.” This may seem like a small semantic distinction, but it meant the Germans remained under their own commanders and were responsible for feeding themselves. If they had been treated as POWs, the Canadians would be responsible for feeding them. As there was not enough food to go around, it was more important to feed the Dutch first. “If there was any shortage of food,” Foulkes stated, “the Germans went short.”
“German Lieutenant-General Paul Reichelt (center) and Canadian Lieutenant-General Charles Foulkes (right) during preliminary discussions around 11am regarding the unconditional surrender of German forces in the Netherlands. At Hotel de Wereld, Wageningen, Netherlands, 5 May 1945. War correspondents line the tables behind. Photographer Alex Stirton of the Canadian Film & Photo Unit attends to record the drama unfolding” Photo: Alex Stirton. Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, a137730. 
“German prisoners-of-war preparing to return to Germany, Harlingen, Netherlands, 25 May 1945.” Photo: Jack Smith. Courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, 1967-052 NPC.
Foulkes also recognized in 1945 that there was something different about this engagement: “I sincerely hope that those good relations established in Holland between the Canadian troops and the Dutch people may continue, and that we may foster between that hard working, long-suffering population, a bond of friendship for Canada. We have very much in common.” It is no wonder the Dutch and the Canadians have shared a special relationship over 75 years.